Off the Board for 2 weeks

[grandduchessella]

Hi Everyone

Just a quick notice (this will be removed after the 2 week period) that I will most likely not be on the board the next 2 weeks. My hubby is coming home on his midtour this week and will be home for 2 weeks. We have our daughter's graduation and a family vacation during that period. I only put this here because, as a mod, I can sometimes get 2-3 PMs a day about various issues. I don't want anyone thinking I'm shirking or ignoring them!   I will be back at work while he's here (lack of vacation time--boo) so I may try and drop in then. LOL Other than that, Bob will be my primary focus before I send him off for another 6 mos.

In the meantime, keep letting me know of anything I need to address, just know that I may not be able to get to it for a couple of weeks.

[blessOTMA]

oh my lord have a great time , I know you will

[edubs31]

oh my lord have a great time , I know you will

Seriously! Sounds wonderful and I wish you and your family the very best of times together. See you soon :-)

[Forum Admin]

GDElla so deserves this time off!  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any problems while she is off. I don't want her to even think about us while she's off spending quality time with her family.  It's the least I can do!  Have a great time!!

[Jen_94]

That sounds wonderful! Enjoy yourself!

[TimM]

Have a great vacation.

[Carolath Habsburg]

Have fun and enjoy your well deserved vacations!!!

[grandduchessella]

Thanks, everyone! And thank you, FA for the kind words. I've so enjoyed being a mod here--it's no hardship.   He's on his way to the airport now and should be home about 9:30 am tomorrow. I'll be on half-days at work Thurs (my own Ella's elementary school graduation--she was just a baby when I started here and now she's going to middle school!) and Fri (Kate's high school graduation). We leave on Sun for Phase 1 of the Great Family Vacation. I'll be back at work the following Mon (6/24) and he leaves on Thurs (6/26). So I'll be able to check in while I'm at work. Then he'll be gone for another 6 mos and then we'll move (parts unknown until Jul) in Jan.

[edubs31]

Thanks, everyone! And thank you, FA for the kind words. I've so enjoyed being a mod here--it's no hardship.   He's on his way to the airport now and should be home about 9:30 am tomorrow. I'll be on half-days at work Thurs (my own Ella's elementary school graduation--she was just a baby when I started here and now she's going to middle school!) and Fri (Kate's high school graduation). We leave on Sun for Phase 1 of the Great Family Vacation. I'll be back at work the following Mon (6/24) and he leaves on Thurs (6/26). So I'll be able to check in while I'm at work. Then he'll be gone for another 6 mos and then we'll move (parts unknown until Jul) in Jan.

Is Dover, DE still a possibility?

[grandduchessella]

No, Dover isn't because of his rank and career field. The only spots for a Lt Col would be squadron or group command and he's not eligible for those. We're really hoping for Europe and that's what he's put on his preference sheet. Doing a 365 unaccompanied is supposed to give your priority in your selection. The list came out in May and there are 11 spots in Europe (8 Germany, 2 Belgium, 1 Netherlands) and he listed all of them, followed by Hawaii, followed by Japan. This is probably his last assignment before retiring and we want to go out big!   If he could, he would love one final assignment after overseas and that would be heading up the ROTC detachment at the University of DE (our alma mater) but that could hinge on the timing.

[edubs31]

Very cool and I like your attitude. I wouldn't think most families would want to uproot and go abroad but if the opportunity is there and you have the job stability, why not? Go big as you say...any of those options are a heck of a lot more interesting than Dover, lol.

Would be nice to come back to UD before calling it a career. Sort of bring things full circle for you! I'll be in Newark, De tomorrow night with a friend or two actually.

[grandduchessella]

We were in Germany from 1999-2002 and LOVED it. Kate was 4-7, Drew was 1-4 and I was expecting Ella when we left. I would love to take them back at the ages they are now (18, 15, 11). Kate would only be there during college break unless she took some time off. I was a European history major in college so I was happy as a pig in slop. LOL Bob loved it too. We missed family but some came over to visit. We've tried a few times to get back but, with the preferential follow on, this is the best chance. If the USAF decides to mess with Bob, there'll be hell to pay! LOL It's supposedly guaranteed but the military does what it wants--we've learned that.

We are at Dover AFB from 1996-1999 (that's where Drew was born) and it was fine. It was cool to be by family but we'll be retiring in Newark (we are in the process of trying to obtain a mortgage for my grandparent's house--fingers crossed) so we'll have the rest of our lives to be in DE!

So, this time next week, we'll be lolling at the beach.   We've never had a deployment this long (12 mos) so I've never done a midtour. I hope it doesn't feel like going back to scratch when he leaves again. We did a calculation and between his deployments and the geographic separation during his Pentagon tour, he's spent more than half his time away from his family in the last 8 years. We've all kept busy and, as usual, the Forum and my buddies here help me out when I'm blue.   I think I ever became a mod during on of his prior deployments. But we're looking forward to be a united family again--well, semi-united since our eldest will be at college.

[Veronica]

All the best for you and your family during your vacation!

[TimM]

Does the U.S. still have that big a military presence in Germany?  I was just wondering, since the Cold War ended more than twenty years ago.

[grandduchessella]

Not nearly as sizeable as the 80s-90s but Ramstein is still a large base--it's the main European hub and is also where one of the NATO facilities is. A lot of bases were closing even when we were there and more have closed in the decade since. I don't think Ramstein will ever shut down though. Of the 8 jobs listed in Germany, I think most, if not all, were at Ramstein or Stuttgart (USAFE command and Special Ops Command). Stuttgart has EUCOM and AFRICOM and thus has been identified as one of the few "enduring communities" where the United States forces will continue to operate in Germany. Stuttgart is still Army but is increasingly joint.

There are 21 altogether but the majority are pretty small. There is 1 joint base, 2 USAF, 17 Army, 1 Marine. Some of these bases are broken down into subsidiary ones--many of which are scheduled for closing this year through 2016.

If you look at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Army_installations_in_Germany

you can see the dozens that have shut down. Almost all the closings happened in the '90s through now.